Wombat and The Wanderer builds/BS/my insane ramblings.

I was planning on hitting the Expo next month but the dates just don't fall right for me this year. Maybe next year. If you are ever in my neck of the woods feel free to swing by if you want to take a look at any of the stuff I've built for this or my other rig.

 

The expo should be a great time and a huge learning opportunity for me. I have been planning on attending since the fall of last year so I kept my schedule open. What part of Tx are you in?

 

I am 40 miles east of Waco off of US84.

 

Planning a trip to Lake Whitney next month to teach my wife to Kayak. May 5-7th if you or anyone who might show up wants to stop by or camp with us.

 

I'd come by and meet up but I will be in Gilmer at BMRA for Toyota Jamboree May 4-8 and then leave the 10th for the expo in AZ. You are only about 2 hrs away from me though, i'm sure we'll meet sometime and I'll get to see your great work in person.

 

Completely forgot about the jamboree... may have to change my plans lol.

All that red dust and mud on everything though. They need to move the jamboree to Hidden Falls every other year or something. Lived less than 10 miles from BMRA for several years and still own land near there. I really hate the red clay in that part of Texas. That crap stains everything it touches and promotes rust like salt water.

 

Haha yeah it does. I had my stock skids off a week or so ago and found a ton of red dirt still inside of them. I was short on time so its still there.

 

Ok so now that I have owned my 2016 for a year and some change now thought I would give my thoughts on it. I am going into my pros and cons on the truck these are my experiences. Please don't bring the into my build thread there are plenty of other threads for that.

Pros:
The manual transmission is one of the best I have ever driven.

Cockpit layout was well thought out and is very comfortable for some one my size. 5'9" @ 200lbs.

Quicksand color looks great clean or dirty.

Truck has plenty of power if you know how to tap into it.

Truck is very capable off road right out of the box. Add a good set of tires an it is great.

The factory suspension rides great very responsive both in and off road when not loaded.

There is loads of aftermarket support.

Truck has performed well in all that I have put it through. Commuter duties, beach bombing, desert camping trips, central Texas rock trails, and East Texas red clay mud.

Fuel mileage has been better than I actually expected for the way I have my truck set up. Prinsu cab rack, self built rock sliders, self built bed rack @ cab height. Couple of hundred pounds of bug out gear in the truck at all times. My annual average on fuel was 17.3 mpg.

In my younger days the Entune system would have been ripped out just for good measure but, older and wiser me has gotten accustomed to it and rather enjoy it and its integration of entertainment and vehicle systems.

I am able to keep recovery, first aid and personal protection gear in my truck at all times. I can completely conceal all of it without any conflict with passenger comfort.

Towing with the truck has been great for a mid sized truck. I tow quite frequently with my truck. The manual transmission and the low final drive ratio really earn their keep in this department. My car hauler with my '85 Toyota on it and my welding trailer are both in the neighborhood of 5000 lbs. My truck takes it all in stride on road or off road on remote work locations.

I still can't walk away from my truck without looking back at it.

Cons:
The steering wheel controls for volume and track selection is backwards in my opinion.

No oil pressure or voltage gauges.

I mentioned the suspension earlier in my pros for ride quality. In actual use the rear leaf springs leave something to be desired. This is a well know issue.

I had the differential howl. Mine was fortunately fixed with a differential swap at the dealer.

The high pressure fuel pump chirp. Had it looked at by the dealer. Toyota wouldn't allow replacement for noise. I swapped from Mobile oil to Royal Purple and the issue was gone immediately.

Finicky with fuel. Truck hates ethanol. Have to seek out fuel stations with low to no ethanol levels to get optimal performance.

The 4wd knob. Nothing wrong with it but I wish it had an actual shifter in the floor. Just Not my cup of tea. Our '16 TRD Pro 4Runner has a shifter why can't my Tacoma?

Conclusion:
All in all I am very pleased with the truck. I knew going in that it was a first year production truck. I knew it would have things to be ironed out. If I had it to do over again I would still wait the 6 months for the truck again. My $0.02.

 

Got my hood stripes put on today. I believe these are the first of this style to be installed on a 3rd gen. Thanks @crawler300 you did a bang up job brother.

 

Bumper planning stage 1.1

I really like the look of the ARB but not the weight and decrease in approach angle. Not to mention the sections under the headlights and headlight guards are hindering in the tight trails that I commonly find myself on from my past experiences. The amount of protrusion in the ARB Summit bumpers just kind of sucks in general due to the built in impact zones in them.
The slimline bumpers have an appeal to me as well but the lack of crucial component protection bothers me. They also lack a mounting area or protection for the ARB Intensity lights that I have collecting dust on my shelf. Use with a Hi-lift is also not readily available with these.
I also used to run one of the old school Warn winch trays with a Warn 8274 in it and like the look of it on my old rig. I built a set of uprights and a top cross bar for it and it served me well for better than a decade. Functioned as a winch mount, radiator guard, light mount and push bar.

I still have my 8274 (3 of them if you want to get technical) but will not be using it for this simply because they are not terribly reliable though they are strong and fast spooling. I do still love these damn things for the simplicity, strength and dashing old school looks though. I'll be running a planetary winch with synthetic line for this application for the lower profile.


My plan is to run the three designs together and come out with a strong functional bumper that suits my needs. Winch mount, recovery points, Hi-Lift comparable, component protection, not to heavy, GARBMFL mounting location, ability to use as a push bar in a pinch, aesthetically pleasing to me and built out of materials I have on hand with my own two hands. Oh yeah and it will hide the massive grill that I am still not to fond of.


Crappy photoshop of my insanity.

 

The Tacoma is an all around bad ass truck

 

Semper fi

 

After a run in with a flash flood and having to do a untimely river extraction on some of the members of our party on our last outing a change is in order. I have decided that my truck will no longer be set up as base camp. Had a pretty some close calls that I wasn't set up for and I don't like that.

Off-road Trailer build is happening. First order of business is this axle. Dexter 3500#, 67" hub face to hub face, 10" electric drum brakes.


Trailer build list to Keep me on track.

2"x3" rectangular tube frame
(6/17/16 Material picked up )

Tacoma suspension
(6/23/17 shackles received from @Texoma)
(6/25/17 Tacoma springs, u-bolt plates and u-bolts picked from @riz_atx)

High angle hitch coupler
(Researching weather its cheaper to build or buy.)

Full size tires same as Truck
(6/19/17 Changed studs in trailer hubs to same thread as truck: Dorman 610-384)
(6/19/17 assembled wheel hubs on axle)

Wheel base matching truck wheel base

Departure angle same as truck or less

Hitch and truck frame level when loaded

Adjustable height RTT mount

270* awning
(6/17/17 ordered 10yards tan 70d 2oz ripstop )
(6/19/17made arrangements with http://www.ohenrytents.com/ For awning build)
(6/23/17 canopy material is on site.)

Lockable doors & gate

3500w generator 110-220v
(purchased before hand)

12v dual battery setup with solar

On board water 20-40 gallons, heated?

Kitchen area with fridge

Table storage easy access

Detachable/folding/reversible tongue ?

Stabilizers and retractable jack.

Swing out tire carrier
(Looking for Tacoma spindles have a crazy idea.)

LED lighting end to end, area lighting

Lift?/recovery points

Rear winch?

dry storage area

List will grow as I go so stay tuned. Laterz!


If anyone is interested the bumper build is still happening as well just have to get the time off for it all.

 

Interested in the trailer build.

 

Bare with me summers are my business time and my neck is fawked up.

 

Thinking things over today while in the waiting room at the doctor I realized the trailer axle had standard lug studs.... That ain't gonna work. Stopped off at the local parts house and brok out the books and schooled those kiddos on how to improvise. Located a Dorman 610-384 wheel stud that is a good fit for the Dexter brake drums I am using. The original trailer studs were 1/4" to long to use with the shank style lug nuts to begin with.






Got the studs pressed in and then went on with the axle assembly. Brake backing plates torqued down, wheel bearings packed with Mystic red high temp and and fully assembled.




Talked to Mike at http://www.ohenrytents.com/ and made arrangements for getting my awning sewn up.
Thanks to @Texoma and @riz_atx for the suspension components. Those should be in hand by Sunday. Still looking for a set of low mileage Stock rear Bilsteins.


Oh and the Dr said I now have 3 ruptured disks instead if 2 bulging and one ruptured disks in my neck and I need another round of steroid shots before my insurance will let them do anything to actually fix it.

 

Trailer suspension parts are on site now. Everything but the Bilstein shocks for the trailer still need to find a lightly used set.


Also my canopy material came in for my 270* awning. 10 yards of 2oz RipStop. If I can get more than a day off at a time to do something with this stuff... Yes I'm building my own awning.

 

So I got a little free time and got my spring hangers fabricated for my trailer.
They still need some finish work done on them but they should be plenty stout for the trailer. The 3 holes in them are so they can be rosette welded to the frame on the bottom side.

 

Hi Redbeard, I love the write-up and your work.
We just bought a new Taco. I started a thread in Suspensions.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-taco-build.506024/
Can you please comment on what we want to do?
I could really use your advice....cheers!

 

Little trailer update for y'all.